A very special moment for me: Demobilized child soldiers returning home in South Sudan, 2001

This is a collection of my articles and opinion pieces. The topics span sexual & gender based violence, child soldiers, food security, public health, eradication of polio & protection of the vulnerable. Having witnessed compelling human tragedies and triumphs, my perspectives have been shaped by my diverse experiences in the Army, the UN, the Red Cross as well as a dad. I genuinely believe that we can together advance peace, humanity and give our children a future full of hope.

My OP/ED in the Forbes on child soldiers. I sincerely hope 2013 proves auspicious and a harbinger of hope. This terrible tragedy of child soldiers and children exposed to the savagery of armed conflicts is stopped forever. We must see collective and concerted actions to bring this tragic chapter of human history to a close.

India is generally at or near the bottom of the heap of women’s misery. A UN index in 2011 amalgamated details on female education and employment, women in politics, sexual and maternal health and more. It ranked India 134th out of 187 countries, worse than Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Iran.

In this article Cherie Blair and I make the case that financial independence, especially for urban poor and rural women, is the best way to ensure their empowerment. This can only come through jobs.

Women are half India’s demographic dividend; if they are given the right tools and community support, they can not only become financially independent, but could also become the engines that fuel India’s future growth

Indian Bollywood movies have for years perpetuated two stereotypes about law-enforcement in the country. They are either bumbling fools, always arriving well after matters have been sorted and justice has been served. Or they are corrupt; venal men out to exploit the system to satisfy their greed. In truth, while neither stereotype is fully representative of law enforcement personnel in the country, they are not entirely wrong either.

The recent spate of rapes, unbridled violence, police brutality, a distressing absence of respect for women’s rights and a general breakdown of law and order in many parts of India is a matter of grave concern.

My opinion piece in The Hindu, on the scourge of sexual and gender violence in India, which is deeply troubling. Without collective resolve, education, awareness raising and affirmative action this problem will continue to cause misery to many women and children .

A very special moment for me: Demobilized child soldiers returning home in South Sudan, 2001

This is a collection of my articles and opinion pieces. The topics span sexual & gender based violence, child soldiers, food security, public health, eradication of polio & protection of the vulnerable. Having witnessed compelling human tragedies and triumphs, my perspectives have been shaped by my diverse experiences in the Army, the UN, the Red Cross as well as a dad. I genuinely believe that we can together advance peace, humanity and give our children a future full of hope.

Amongst the most egregious violations of child rights, is the wide spread use of child soldiers, which continues unabated and with impunity to this day. The Kony 2012 video acted as a wake up call for the civilized world to be reminded about the horrors children in Northern Uganda are exposed to. But it is a fact that everyday hundreds of thousands of children are being used by armed groups all over the world in conflicts.

At a TED x event in Spain, I spoke about this awful practice, and reflect on my time in South Sudan when it was at war with the North and there was rampant use of children as combatants, and as mere cannon fodder in this conflict, as in many parts of the world.What we did in South Sudan was to demonstrate that we do not need to wait for conflicts to end before children can be demobilized from the variegated militaries and militias. Engaging and persuading all parties to the conflict as well as the broader civil society is critical. Civil societies and communities themselves need to take a strong stand to prevent recruitment of children as it is clear that governments as well as non state actors, can’t do it on their own.

Experts say that once conflicts end and many psychologically scarred child soldiers and young adults, (who have graduated to adulthood from being child soldiers) are demobilized and returned to their communities, it keeps the peace fragile and amplifies the insecurity. Parts of Africa, Asia and South America risk long term instability as there is evidence of children moving from one armed group to another, or become part of criminal gangs.

The Kony 2012 video viewed by over 100 million people, spurred the US congress into action to stop Joseph Kony from getting away with crimes against humanity committed over two decades. The incarceration of former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor and the notorious Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubunga is a step in the right direction.
We should not be held hostage to the obstinacy of armed groups, who violate the rights of the child and the optional protocols by using and abusing children as combatants or non combatants, regardless of their character, cause or ideology. Without exception, condemnation of such actions must be unequivocal and universal. There must be ‘zero-tolerance’ of these groups or those that support these groups. They must know that the full force of justice awaits them.

Finally my TED x talk is also a tribute to the leadership of UNICEF and its staff who worked in South Sudan in one of the most adverse and challenging environments then, and they believed that this was the right thing to do, despite the grave risks of such an untried enterprise being undertaken during a conflict and with a very uncertain ending.

Without the partnership, concern and collegiality of the Samaritans Purse, the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the UN’s World Food Programme, as well as the local NGOs of South Sudan, this programme could have easily failed.

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, then the Commander of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, stood by his word…though it did not end the use children during the remaining years of the conflict, but this was an important beginning. It showed that non state actors can also be encouraged and persuaded to abide by international protocols.

The world needs to stand up and say NO to child soldiers. We all have a stake in shaping a better world, and that means investing, protecting and nurturing all children today

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Siddharth Chatterjee

" South Asia's Water Woes-Is there hope?"
World Water Day is being celebrated on March 22, 2013. Even after nearly twenty years since World Water Day started in 1993, over 1000 children in India die daily from water borne diseases. The entire world is watching India celebrate Kumbh Mela one of